Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the head of Al Qaida in Iraq, announced yesterday that his organization and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria are one and the same. He also confirmed that his organization was involved in the uprising from the very beginning just like the Syrian government has claimed:
According to the Al Qaeda leader, there were already jihadist cells in Syria before the conflict erupted. These cells were “awaiting the chance” to expand their operations and when the civil war started Abu Muhammad Al-Julani was dispatched along with other Iraqi jihadists to establish al-Nusra and to set strategy. Al Qaeda in Iraq has been splitting its funds with al-Nusra, he says.
Al-Baghdadi's announcement was a surprise for the head of Jabhat al-Nusra:
The head of Syria's jihadist Al-Nusra Front on Wednesday pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri in an audio message, but distanced his group from claims it had merged with Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
"The sons of Al-Nusra Front pledge allegiance to Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri," Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani said in the recording.
But, he added, "we were not consulted" on an announcement on Tuesday of a merger of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Al-Nusra Front.
That little spat is about the marketing name of the organization will not make any difference in the U.S. plan to intensify the conflict:
To try to counter the rising influence of Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamic extremists in the civil war, the U.S. and its allies have boosted their support for rebel factions deemed to be more moderate.
As McClatchy provided that this idea is not working. Weapons that are supposed to go only to U.S. vetted "secular" groups have been seen in the hands of Jihadi groups that fight along with them.
These new weapons are not decisive. They only intensify the fight and will lead to more destruction. Instead of an announced attack by the foreign supported insurgents on Damascus the recent weeks have seen a counteroffensive by the Syrian government that cleared much of the Damascus countryside:
The major development, however, took place in the eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army came to the aid of a battalion that had been under siege for weeks. The offensive was launched in the vicinity of the Damascus International Airport, and has effectively severed the opposition’s supply routes. Scores were killed or injured in the fighting, according to Syrian officials.
For their part, Syrian opposition sources confirmed that the eastern Ghouta is practically under siege, and spoke about preparations underway to fend off army attacks
Official sources asserted that the above developments are proof that the regular army has fully regained the initiative. Other informed sources claimed that the army has greatly improved its intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance operations, and infiltrated the armed rebel groups.
In east Syria first clashes between "secular" fighters and the Jihadists have occurred. Some of the original civil protesters have noticed that an end of the Syrian government would not bring an end to the fighting but rather intensify it:
Manna noted that army defections were decreasing, amid growing fears on the part of minorities due to the militancy and the “Islamization” of the opposition, a reference to the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Manna said in response to a question: “I am convinced that the departure of President Bashar al-Assad would not spell the end of violence in Syria,” pointing out that “his violent overthrow will only lead to further violence.”
Syrian insurgents also recognize that they will have to fight the foreign Jihadis who are currently helping them.
The may also have to fight militia that Israel is supports in the northern Golan heights:
Israeli military personnel are operating in non-combat capacity in an area across Israel's border with Syria, GlobalPost has learned.
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This indicates a much higher level of activity by Israel in rebel-held lands than has previously been acknowledged. It also is a sign that Israel is willing to put some of its own personnel in significant peril in order to retain some semblance of order at the national boundary line.
Should the Syrian government fall Israel will try to use those militia, likely Druze, to create a "buffer zone" which in effect means that it will steal more Arab land.
A UN panel found that weapons from Libya have spread to more than a dozen countries including Syria. Imagine what would happen when Syria would break down and its heavy weapon depots were open for sale.
